Valve cancels The Black Box, forces consumers to rebuy content

Valve has canceled The Black Box, one of the two planned SKUs for the upcoming …

Those hoping to get themselves Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal via the previously announcedHalf Life 2: The Black Box are out of luck. According to Valve's director of marketing Doug Lombardi, The Black Box has been canceled. All that remains of the Half-Life SKUs is The Orange Box, which features all the aforementioned content as well as Half-Life 2 and Episode 1. Lombardi explains:

We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99). In addition to the three new products—Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life: Episode Two—The Orange Box will also contain the full version of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One. Those who purchase the PC version of The Orange Box will get three separate Steam product codes: One for the three new games, one for HL2, and one for Episode One. This way a PC Orange Box owner can give away their Half-Life 2 or Episode One unused Steam product codes if they don't need a copy of those games. We are excited to deliver the highest value of new gaming content ever offered in one box.

Yes, that's exactly what I want to do: pay more for everything and give the parts I don't want away. How noble of you, Valve.

Obviously, the problem that arises here is the fact that the majority of gamers previously interested in the cheaper Black Box already have the core game and its first episode. Forcing them to buy Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 again hardly seems fair. The argument could be made that those wanting the piecemeal package could simply buy them online through Steam, but many still prefer a boxed version, and it seems that Valve is taking advantage of that fact. For shame.